


Falling Apart

by escaped_reality



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, Centers on WynHaught BrOTP, Gen, Mentions of WayHaught
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-25 21:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18171803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escaped_reality/pseuds/escaped_reality
Summary: “Where is she?” Nicole whispered. Wynonna’s eyes widened at the hollow sound of her voice. She took a hesitant step forward as if approaching a dangerous animal.“Nicole,” she said calmly. She tried to reach out for the redhead, but Nicole took a step back. “Just sit down. I can explain.”“Wynonna,” Nicole spoke through gritted teeth, clear warning in her voice. “Where is she?” Wynonna shifted her gaze to the closed fists hanging by the taller woman’s sides before locking her eyes with Nicole. She knew the next words out of her mouth were going to devastate her.“She’s gone,” Wynonna whispered.ORNicole, Jeremy and Robin are waiting for Wynonna at the homestead at the end of Season 3. Wynonna has to break the news to Nicole that the love of her life is gone.





	Falling Apart

Wynonna slowly made her way back to the homestead, dread consuming her with each step forward. She didn’t know how she was going to break the news to the rest of them. Wynonna did this. She chose this. She was the one who decided to take Waverly alone. She was the one who made that decision and look where that led. She lost her. She lost them. 

She gripped her sword tight in her hand, holding onto it like a lifeline. Technically, it was. This sword was going to help her get her sister back, her light, the one person who kept her going. 

When Wynonna reached the door of the homestead, she took a steading breath knowing that the news she was about to share was going to break them. She opened the door with a shaky hand and looked around. 

Silence. 

Maybe they weren’t here?

“Nicole?” Wynonna called out. “Jeremy?” 

She cursed her voice for sounding so hoarse, like she hasn’t spoken in weeks. 

“Up here,” she heard muffled from the second floor. She fought the urge to groan, now she had to tell them. 

She walked slowly up the steps, fighting the urge to breakdown. Her legs felt like they would collapse at any moment. Halfway up, a tear slipped down her cheek as a vision of her sister being dragged up the staircase into the garden flashed behind her eyes. She swore she could hear Waverly still screaming for her. 

When she reached Waverly’s room, she saw Nicole, Jeremy and Robin waiting for her. All three of them glared at her, Nicole’s a little more deadly than the rest. Wynonna didn’t blame her. She took a deep breath, trying to hold eye contact with the trio, but it was futile. 

Nicole was about to open her mouth to get some answers when Wynonna interrupted. 

“Can I talk to Nicole alone for a second?” She quietly asked. She figured if she was going to do this, it would be best to tell Nicole alone. She looked between the three of them, pleading. She hoped they wouldn’t make this any harder than it already was. 

They noticed immediately that Wynonna was unlike herself. Everyone in the room could tell that something was wrong. They exchanged looks, noticing immediately that one of the sisters was missing. Instead of fighting with the headstrong woman, Jeremy and Robin looked at each other before nodding in agreement.

“We will go back to the station and, uh, research stuff.” He looked to Robin again before shrugging. 

Robin grabbed Jeremy’s hand and led the scientist to the door of the bedroom. “Let us know if you need us, or you know, want to drug us again.” 

Wynonna smiled guiltily at the pair before she took a deep breath and turned back to face Nicole. She wasn’t prepared for this, for any of this. The two women were silent for a long moment. One not knowing what to say and the other afraid of the answer. 

“Where is she?” Nicole whispered. Wynonna’s eyes widened at the hollow sound of her voice. She took a hesitant step forward as if approaching a dangerous animal. 

“Nicole,” she said calmly. She tried to reach out for the redhead, but Nicole took a step back. “Just sit down. I can explain.”

“Wynonna,” Nicole spoke through gritted teeth, clear warning in her voice. “Where is she?” Wynonna shifted her gaze to the closed fists hanging by the taller woman’s sides before locking her eyes with Nicole. She knew the next words out of her mouth were going to devastate her.

“She’s gone,” Wynonna whispered, voice cracking over the words like a sharp knife tearing through her. “The garden took her, but we can get her back. We will get her back.” She tried to speak with a confidence she didn’t feel.

Wynonna watched as Nicole’s knees gave out and she fell to the floor. The brunette wanted to rush to Nicole’s side, but the look she received in return stopped her in her tracks. She felt helpless as she stared at Nicole. The Sheriff had her face in her hands, silent sobs wracking her body.

Nicole felt like she was drowning. She couldn't catch her breath, the world was closing in around her. Waverly was gone. She was gone. Wynonna's words kept echoing in her head like a mantra and she was desperate to escape them. This couldn't be real. She couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever.

“Nicole, I’m so s-,” she tried to apologize, but Nicole held up a hand. She watched as the redhead shook her head back and forth in disbelief. Wynonna felt helpless. She didn’t know what to do. This shouldn’t have happened. Wynonna felt ashamed for even seeing Nicole like this. She looked broken. Wynonna couldn't help, but remind herself that she did this.

“We were supposed to be a team,” Nicole said quietly. “I was supposed to go with you. I was supposed to save her!”

Before Wynonna could blink, Nicole jumped up from her position on the floor. She grabbed Wynonna by the lapels of her jacket and shoved her into the dresser. Wynonna felt her anger flare for a moment before it fizzled out. She bit her lip to keep the tears at bay. She was tired. She was so tired of fighting. Her back ached from the spot it hit the dresser, but she reveled in the feeling. “I could have saved her, Wynonna,” Nicole screamed, desperately. Wynonna couldn’t miss the tears streaming down the redhead’s face if she tried. 

“I should have been there!” She shoved Wynonna a second time. 

“How could you do that? How could you take her away from me?” Nicole yelled as she shoved her once more, flinching as the angel wings above Wynonna’s head fell to the floor. They both stopped, staring at the shattered wings for a long moment before looking back at each other. Wynonna saw the fight slowly draining out of her. She’d give anything to bring back the anger, anger she could deal with. This broken version of her sister’s soulmate left her feeling helpless.

“Why aren’t you fighting back?” Nicole whispered. “Why aren’t you defending yourself?” It was as if she was pleading for a fight, but Wynonna wasn’t giving her one. 

Wynonna finally let the tears she had been holding in fall, relinquishing the control she had of her emotions. “Because it’s my fault,” Wynonna shrugged as if the answer was obvious. “I lost my sister. I deserve this.”

Wynonna watched as Nicole’s jaw clenched and she prepared herself to be thrown into the dresser once more. She wouldn’t blame her.

Wynonna looked pleadingly into Nicole’s eyes, pleading for what, she didn’t know. It was only when Nicole gripped harder onto her jacket and pulled her forward into a bone crushing hug that she knew what it was she needed, what they both needed. Comfort. Support. Strength to keep going, to keep fighting. 

Wynonna sank into Nicole’s arms before she let the sobs overtake her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Nicole.” She didn’t receive an answer, she just felt the arms around her tighten their hold. They held onto each other, both drawing strength from the other. This was different. Wynonna never had this close of a relationship with Nicole, with anyone really besides her sister. She was surprised she wasn’t more uncomfortable. She assumed it was because she was so desperate for her sister and Nicole was the closest thing she had to Waverly. 

“I just wanted to protect everyone,” Wynonna continued. Nicole watched as thick tears fell from Wynonna's blue eyes and all the fight she had in her simply drained. She knew that Wynonna was hurting just as much as, if not more than, she was.

Wynonna felt the Sheriff sigh against her. “You can’t do this alone, Wynonna. We want to protect you too. Believe it or not, we love you and we need you just as much as we need her.”

Wynonna shook her head in disagreement. “I lost her. How am I supposed to protect the Garden of fucking Eden when I can’t even protect my baby sister?” 

“If there is one thing I know about you, Earp, it’s that you don’t give up.” Nicole replied. “Waverly would want us to keep fighting for you, for her, for our family.”

“Doc went after her,” Wynonna mumbled into Nicole’s shoulder. “She is not alone. We will get her back, Haught. I promise. We will get her back.” Those five words Wynonna kept muttering to herself as Nicole held onto her tightly. Nicole stroked the back of her hair trying to bring some much needed reassurance to them both. 

When Wynonna finally pulled back from the taller woman, she was unable to make eye contact. There was an overwhelming sense of shame and disappointment in herself. She made her way over to the end of the bed and sat down on the floor. 

Nicole sighed as she grabbed a seat next to her. She closed her eyes as she remembered a time not too long ago when she had Waverly nestled closely in her arms. She was safe, protected, whole. She would give anything in the world to go back to that moment right now. All she wanted was just one more moment with Waverly wrapped up in her arms again. There were so many things she would say. She wanted forever with Waverly, but Nicole had a feeling that even forever wouldn't be long enough.

“She asked me to marry her,” she said, abruptly. She ran her fingers delicately over the ring that tethered her to Waverly by some unspoken bond.

“She – wow.” Wynonna muttered, wide-eyed. “My sister?”

“Yep,” Nicole replied matter-of-factly. She was still shocked. Everything was happening so fast. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Waverly was supposed to come back. They were supposed to talk about this. 

“My sister who is terrified of losing people? That sister?” Wynonna questioned, still unable to wrap her mind around this. Last she knew, Waverly was unable to utter those special three words.

“Oh no,” Nicole whispered as a thought suddenly struck her. 

“What?”

“I didn’t answer her.”

“Seriously?” Wynonna groaned. 

“Ow!” Nicole pouted as she rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head where Wynonna just hit her.

“Idiot,” Wynonna scolds as she moved to stand up. She chose to ignore the exasperated look from the redhead looking up at her.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole snarked. “I was interrupted before I could say anything. It seems to be a habit with you actually.” The redhead said, with narrowed eyes. 

“We need to leave now,” Wynonna gripped Nicole’s arm roughly and tried to pull her up with a struggle. “God, what do you eat.” Upon seeing Nicole’s smirk, she groaned. “Please don’t answer that.” She tried to drag her to the door, but Nicole pulled her arm away. 

“Wynonna, we need a plan. We can’t just go in there guns blazing.”

“Good thing that’s not an option,” Wynonna replied as she held up her sword. Nicole stared back at her wide-eyed.

“Wynonna-,” Nicole tried.

“No.” Wynonna interrupted. “The longer we wait, the longer my sister is in there thinking the people she loved most abandoned her.”

Nicole’s face turned from apprehensive to determined. She grabbed her gun from its place on the bed and checked her clip. Once satisfied she holstered her weapon and turned to Wynonna.

“Lead the way, Earp."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I really wanted to explore the guilt that Wynonna might be feeling after the season finale and Nicole's reaction if she had been waiting at home for them to return. 
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments and PLEASE KEEP UP THE #FIGHTFORWYNONNA!


End file.
